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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has hailed Benfica counterpart Jose Mourinho as a legend of the game. He believes that the Portuguese coach has been a key figure at every top club he has managed.
Speaking to the media ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Benfica, Maresca acknowledged that Mourinho was an important manager at Stamford Bridge. However, he added that he was not thinking about the manager's influence at the club and said (via BBC):
"The only thing I can say about Jose is that, for me, personally he's a legend for this club. And from Italy he's a legend for Inter where he won the Champions League. So he's a legend for different clubs in the world, that shows how good he is and how good he has been. For what he deserves? To be honest, I'm not here to think about what he deserves. I think he has already showed how important a manager he has been and is."
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Maresca has been in charge at Stamford Bridge for just over a year. He won the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup last season, but has made a poor start to the 2025/26 season.
Chelsea's takeover period was hard to watch, admits Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho spoke about Chelsea in his pre-match press conference, admitting that it was hard for him to watch his former club struggle on the pitch. He claimed that new owners were going down a different route and the club was not the same as it was in his spell, and said (via Daily Mail):
"Chelśea. Abramovich's Chelsea, my Chelsea, the Chelsea we built and lasted for many years was a winning club. It was winning everything with me and then with (Carlo) Ancelotti, with (Antonio) Conte and with (Thomas) Tuchel. Chelśea was a winning machine. Every season, Chelśea was winning."
"Then there was a big change with crazy investment and a period of a few years where it looked like they lost direction - with too many players, too many millions, accumulation of players and a team without a clear philosophy. For a couple of years, it was hard. For one that loves the club, it was hard."
Jose Mourinho won the Premier League three times in his two spells at Stamford Bridge. He also won three League Cup trophies and the FA Cup twice before going on to manage Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the league.
